| Chronic pain is an embodied experience for millions of Americans. Millions of people suffer
from pain that deviates from typical pain scales (CDC, 2023). It is invisible, subjective,
understudied or studied primarily among male patients, and heavily stigmatized (Adams et al.,
2021; Jackson, 2005; Greenberger & Doner, 2024). Anthropologists have a unique ability to
research this disability with a focus on the personal construct of the patient in their cultural
setting (Inhorn & Wentzell, 2012). Few analyses explore the lived experience of chronic pain
within the structural vulnerabilities of our medical system from the perspective of the patient.
Critical medical anthropology offers an avenue for researchers to analyze the behaviors of
humans regarding health and illness (Carroll, 2013). In addition, a feminist critique of the current
medical system, offers a new perspective on women’s health (Inhorn & Wentzell, 2012).
Through feminist, critical autoethnography, I engage in a personal narrative research project. I
perform the role of both participant and researcher to explore chronic pain, stigma, limited
agency, and structural disadvantages within both the medical system and my community. The
qualitative methodology of autoethnography has become more widely accepted in many
academic fields, including anthropology because it allows for a comprehensive account of my
intersectionality and lived experiences. Through personal documentation in journal entries and
collection of “artifacts” of these experiences and medical treatments; this thesis demonstrates
culturally significant intersectionality and structural inequalities while navigating the medical
system while existing with chronic pain.
Keywords: Autoethnography, Chronic Pain, Feminism, Disability, Agency |